Unity adds free mobile game development for Android and iOS

Unity Technologies has added the ability to develop for Android and iOS games for free using its platform.

Unity Technologies has added the ability to develop for Android and iOS games for free using its platform.

Unity's cross-platform development tools can be used to create games for a multitude of different platforms, including smartphones, PCs and game consoles, simultaneously. Previously, developers had to pay US$400 each if they wanted to create games for Android and iOS, but that will now be completely free, Unity CEO David Helgason said in a blog post Tuesday.

The change in pricing is an extension of Unity Free, which the company launched in 2009, according to Helgason. Doing that was a fantastic decision and allowed Unity's community to grow from 13,000 people to almost 2 million today, he said in a video clip attached to the blog post. The company now hopes this latest change will help the platform continue to increase the number of users.

"Mobile game development has exploded into probably the most compelling part of the industry, especially for small studios and independent developers," Helgason said.

Those two groups can now download Unity and get going on mobile game development. As before, companies with revenue that surpassed $100,000 in their previous fiscal year are required to use the paid version, according to Helgason. That way, Unity can keep the lights on and continue to make the product better for everyone, he said.

In the coming months, BlackBerry 10 and Windows Phone 8 support will become available for free, as well. The company will also reach out to users who purchased the mobile add-ons in the last 30 days to offer discounts on future purchases.